A Massachusetts truck driver and his spouse have sued a Hubbard truck stop and unidentified employees of the Shell gas station at the property, after the man suffered a broken leg by slipping on black ice at the location on Dec. 9, 2018.

Gordon Sullivan and his wife Leslie Sullivan of 877 Scotland Blvd, Bridgewater, Mass., filed the lawsuit earlier this month in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court. The Sullivans are asking a judge to award them a payment of $25,000 plus interest from the defendants.

Nicole H. Ferraro, fiscal officer for Truck World, did not return emails or phone calls seeking comment about the legal action.

The plaintiffs charge Truck World Inc., the Shell Oil Co. dba CT Corporation System of Columbus and three John Doe employees with negligence for failing to properly maintain or make reasonably safe the premises and / or failing to properly and adequately warn Sullivan of a dangerous condition.

The lawsuit states Sullivan slipped and fell on black ice as he attempted to walk across the driveway near the car wash at the Shell station. The John Does are the ones who operated the premises located at 6965 Truck World Blvd., Hubbard, but whose names are unknown despite the effort by the plaintiffs to find out their identities, the lawsuit states.

Gordon Sullivan suffered a fracture of the distal tibia / fibula that required surgery and caused permanent injuries. Because of the required hospitalization and medical care, the accident caused Sullivan to miss significant time from work and lost wages, the lawsuit states.

The case was assigned to Judge Ronald J. Rice, but according to the court record, no schedule of hearings has been set.

gvogrin@tribtoday.com